Country Representative of United Nations (UN), Population Fund (UNFPA), Ms Ulla Elisabeth Mueller, and Country Director, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Mr Woo Chan Chang, commenced a working visit to Borno State on Monday.
The two officials were at the Muna Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs), camp on Monday to assess the place and interact with the people.
Addressing some women including survivors of Gender-Based Violence (SBV), at the Integrated Maternal Healthcare Centre and Safe Space for Women and Girls funded by KOICA at the Muna IDPs camp, Mueller said they were in Borno to assess the situation and interact with the women.
She lauded the women for their resilience and assured them of sustained support in areas of maternal health and empowerment through skills acquisition training.
The KOICA director said the agency, through UNFPA, had been supporting women and girls in the areas of livelihood, safe shelter, maternal and child healthcare services.
Responding on behalf of the women, Amina Garba, a displaced woman, said she had been at the Muna IDPs camp for about four years and had benefitted from UNFPA support which greatly transformed her life, along with other women.
Garba said “I arrived here as a traumatized person but the counseling and other support provided to me boosted me to face the challenge.
“We learned trades like tailoring and making of pomade. We were provided tools and some capital.
“We now have knowledge on Gender-Based Violence and how to expose perpetrators and how to seek redress. We also know hygiene and things like COVID-19 protocols.”
Another displaced woman, Fatima Mohammed, lauded UNFPA for impacting positively on the lives of women at the camp, saying they needed things like grinding and knitting machines to start a business to further enhance their income.
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